A violent five-vehicle crash on the ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge turned deadly Wednesday afternoon when one car went over the side of the elevated roadway and landed on Reedsdale Street on Pittsburgh's North Side, killing two people and choking off the evening commute. The collision unfolded around 3 p.m. and quickly brought traffic in the area to a crawl as first responders flooded the scene.
Officials Give Grim Update
Pittsburgh public-safety officials confirmed two fatalities and said five vehicles were involved in the wreck, according to CBS Pittsburgh. Police Chief Jason Lando told reporters it “takes a pretty significant amount of speed and force to flip over a bridge deck,” adding that investigators were still in the very early stages of figuring out exactly what happened.
Car Seen Lying on Reedsdale Below
Aerial and roadside photos captured by local crews show multiple mangled vehicles scattered along the ramp and a single car resting on Reedsdale Street beneath the interchange, per WPXI's gallery. The images drive home the scale of the wreck and help explain why crews expected the southbound Route 65 ramp to stay shut down for hours.
Rescue Effort and Traffic Fallout
Rescue crews used the jaws of life to free a trapped occupant from the wreckage, and that person was rushed to a hospital in critical condition and later died, WTAE reported. PennDOT closed the southbound Route 65 ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge and urged drivers to seek alternate routes while the city's collision investigation unit documented the scene.
Ongoing Investigation and a Troubling Pattern
Authorities said crash reconstruction specialists will work to piece together how the chain-reaction collision unfolded and have not released additional details while the scene is processed, according to CBS Pittsburgh. A February Hoodline report noted that the maze of ramps near the Fort Duquesne Bridge has already seen other serious crashes earlier this year, underscoring long-standing safety concerns at the complex interchange.
